It’s time for the NBA’s elite to shine again this weekend, and the 2023 3-Point Contest will feature its shooting stars as part of NBA All-Star Saturday Night. A 3-Point Contest field led by Damian Lillard and Jayson Tatum will hit the Vivint Arena court in Salt Lake City following the Skills Challenge. The past two champions — Karl-Anthony Towns and Steph Curry — will sit this one out, but 2020 winner Buddy Hield will be in action. The Pacers sharpshooter is second in the 2023 All-Star 3-Point Contest odds from Caesars Sportsbook at +390 (risk $100 to win $390), trailing only the favorite, Lillard (+325).
All-Star Saturday Night begins at 8 p.m. ET and the 3-Point Contest is the second event. Tatum is a big longshot at +800, with only Julius Randle (+950) getting longer odds. Kevin Huerter (+450), Lauri Markkanen (+650), Tyler Herro (+650) and Tyrese Haliburton (+800) round out the NBA All-Star 3-Point Contest 2023 field. Before locking in any 2023 NBA All-Star 3-Point Contest picks, be sure to check out what SportsLine’s NBA expert Mike Barner has to say.
A respected NBA Fantasy expert, both season-long and daily, Barner’s work has appeared in Sports Illustrated and on Yahoo, RotoWire and KFFL. He’s also been featured on ESPN Radio. Barner digs deep into the data, examining team trends and projecting game outcomes.
Barner’s expertise has been on full display over a wide sample. Over the past three seasons at SportsLine, Mike has crushed sportsbooks with a 425-343-12 record, returning $4,416 to $100 bettors on against-the-spread picks. He also has an incredible feel for NBA All-Star Weekend. In 2021, he nailed Steph Curry as the 3-point champ, and last year Barner hit his over/under pick on the All-Star Game. Anybody who followed his picks has seen huge returns.
Now, Barner has analyzed the NBA 3-Point Contest 2023 from all angles and just locked in his coveted picks and All-Star Weekend predictions. You can only see his NBA 3-Point Contest picks at SportsLine.
Top 2023 NBA 3-Point Contest predictions
In a stunning prediction, Barner is fading the red-hot Lillard, who is averaging 37 points over the past 20 games. The Blazers star also is among the league leaders in made 3-pointers. He averages 4.2 per game, tied with Klay Thompson and trailing only Curry (4.9). But the 32-year-old shoots 37.2% from 3-point range while Thompson makes almost 40% of his tries and Curry hits close to 43%. Lillard is a streaky outside shooter who takes a lot of shots and makes his share.
Lillard has shot worse than 30% from 3-point range three times in his past five games. Four players in the field have a better 3-point shooting percentage than Lillard. This format also doesn’t seem to fit his strengths. He participated in the 2014 and 2019 3-Point Contests and failed to surpass 18 points in the first round either time. His competitive fire might not be stoked by this event, and while he can heat up any time, Barner is seeking a more consistent shooter. You can see who to back in the NBA 3-Point Contest here.
How to make 2023 NBA 3-Point Contest picks
Barner is backing a player to win Saturday who has been a reliably strong long-range shooter his entire career. The expert also has a longer shot you should consider for your 2023 All-Star 3-Point Contest bets. You can only see who they are, and which NBA 3-Point Contest bets to back, at SportsLine.
So who wins the 2023 NBA 3-Point Contest? And which long-shot player has a chance to pull off a huge surprise? Visit SportsLine right now to get Saturday’s 2023 NBA All-Star 3-Point Contest pick, all from the SportsLine expert who crushes the sportsbooks, and find out.
NBA 3-Point Contest odds, top contenders
See full NBA All-Star Weekend picks here.
Damian Lillard (+325)
Buddy Hield (+390)
Kevin Huerter (+450)
Lauri Markkanen (+650)
Tyler Herro (+650)
Jayson Tatum (+800)
Tyrese Haliburton (+800)
Julius Randle (+950)
